Accumulating control mechanism



July 14, 1953 H. P. LUHN V ACCUIIILATING cou'mox. Mmxsu 23 Shoots-Shut 1FIG HANS P. LUHN ATTORNEY Filed Doc. 31, 19s;

July-14, 1953 H. P. LUHN v ACCUIIULATING CONTROL IECHANISI asheets-sheet 2 nn'nnnnnnnn F 4"" HANS P. LUHN ATTORNEY July 14', 1953 H.P. LUHN 64 2 v Accuwuuuc CONTROL mm r11; Doc. 31, 1951 s Shuts-Sheet 3mvzu-ron HANS P. LUHN ATTORNEY Patented July 14, 195 3 ACCUMULATINGCONTROL MECHANISM Hans P. Luhn, Armonk, N.-Y-., assignor toInternational Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application December 31, 195i, Serial No.264,326

6 Claims. 1 This invention relates to accumulators or counting devices,and more particularly to accumulators which are adapted to providecontrol functions for accounting machines.

It is sometimes necessary that control devices for accounting mechanismsbe pulsed in one cycle at a time corresponding to the reading or sensingof a numeric value on a record during an earlier cycle. By providing anaccumulator which is set up during one cycle in accordance with thereceiving of a timed pulse, and incorporating in the accumulator a brushwhich is moved over contacts after the accumulator takes its newsetting, to a position corresponding to that of the accumulator, it ispossible to deliver a pulse through a brush circuit at a time in onecycle corresponding to the time of pulsing the accumulator in theprevious cycle. If a printer such as that shown in the Buhler Patent2,013,533 has its print magnet connected in the brush circuit, it wouldbe possible to obtain a printing during each cycle of the total whichwas read into the accumulator during all of the preceding cycles.Another application for an accumulator of this type may be like thatshown in the Luhn application, Serial Number 264,325, filed December 31,1951.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved accumulator.

Another object is to provide a counter or accumulator which is adaptedto take a new setting while the value read into the counter during aprevious cycle is retained.

Still another object is to provide a counter having brushes cooperatingwith contacts and adapted to be held in any contact engaging positionwhile the counter is being adjusted to a new position.

Yet another object is to provide a counter having brushes which areyieldingly urged to a position corresponding to that of the counter andwhich are adapted to be held stationary until after the counter has beenset.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the followingdescription and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention andthe best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line ll ofFig. 2 and having parts broken away to facilitate illustration of theimproved accumulator.

Fig. 2 is a view taken on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. l with partsshown in section and other parts shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 5 and 6 are like Fig. 4 but show the parts in different positions.

Fig. 7 is a circuit diagram showing how the accumulator is used tocontrol the energizing of a magnet for a printer.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that an accumulator orcounter, generally designated I, has a gear 2 freely mounted upon a stubshaft 3 which is supported by a plate 4. Meshing with the gear 2 is agear 6 which is fixed to a shaft 1 rotated continuously in acounterclockwise direction by any suitable power means, not shown.Formed integral with the gear 2 is a ratchet portion 8 which isengageable by a clutch pawl 9 pivotally mounted on a stud Ill extendingfrom an accumulating or register wheel I2 through a spider M. Projectingfrom the clutch pawl is a stud I5 acting against a cam surface I 6 onthe spider. A spring 18 urges the clutch pawl inwardly about its pivotand tends to rock the spider in a clockwise direction in Fig. 1 by theaction of the stud l5 on the cam surface 16. If the spider is free toturn in a clockwise direction, the clutch pawl is pivoted inwardly untila tooth 20 thereon engages the ratchet portion 8 and causes the registerwheel 12 to be driven with the gear 2.

Arranged in the same plane with the spider I4 is a clutch lever 22pivotally supported at 23 and havin operative engagement with anarmature 24 which is controlled by a start magnet 25 and a stop magnet26. Projecting from the clutch lever is a tooth 28 which is engageablewith any one of ten teeth 29 on the outer periphery of the spider 14.When the lever 22 is rocked to the left in Fig. l by an energizing ofthe stop magnet 26, the tooth 28 is engaged by one of the teeth 29, sothat the spider is stopped and effects a camming of the clutch pawl 9out of engagement with the ratchet portion 8. If the start magnet 25 islater energized, the clutch lever is disengaged from the spider so thatthe latter may turn to a position permitting the clutch pawl to reengagethe ratchet portion 8. A spring urged lever 3| is receivable in any oneof ten notches 32 in the register wheel l2 for centering and holding thelatter in any one of ten positions numbered 0 to 9.

Fixed to the register wheel is a member having an outwardly bent portion33 (Figs. 2 and 4 to 6) 3 which acts as an abutment for a member 34attached to a toothed wheel 35 freely mounted on the stub shaft 3. Acoiled spring 37 is connected at its inner end to the register wheel andis connected at its outer end to the member 34 for urging the toothedwheel 35 in the same direction as that in which the register wheel isdriven by the gear 2. A latch lever 38 is normally held by a spring 45in a position to engage a tooth on the wheel 35 for hOlding the latteragainst rotation with the register wheel. Fixed to the shaft i is a cam41 which is operative to disengage the lever 38' from the wheel 35 justafter (zero) time in each machine cycle. If the register wheel is turnedduring the time that the wheel 35 is held, then the abutment portion 33is moved to a position in advance of the member 34, as shown in Fig. 5.As soon as the latch lever 38 is released from the wheel 35, this wheelis advanced by the spring 3'! until the member 34 engages the abutmentportion 33 in its new position as shown by Fig. 6.

Attached to the wheel 35 is a member carrying a pair of brushes "iswhich are engageable with contact elements 5, numbered 0 to 9, and witha common contact member 15. When counter is in its 0 (zero) position,one oi the brushes engages the 0 contact element while the other brushengages the common contact If the counter is advanced to any one of its1 to 4 positions, the brush on the zero contact element is advanced atthe end of the cycle to the corresponding contact element. If counter ismoved to one of its to 9 posi the brush that first engaged the comrncncontact is advanced to engage the corresponding contact element 45 whilethe other crush e the common contact. A circuit will be cc from one ofthe elements 45 through the hi.

to the contact A16 in each position of the counter.

For each order of the different counting positions, a unit like thatdescribed above is prr To carry from any order position to a higherorder position, there is provided a carry mechanism like that shown anddescribed in the Daly Patent 2,377,762. This mechanism comprises a carrycam es fixed to the register wheel 52 and tively engaging a carry leverWhen counter unit is in its 1 to 8 positions, a projection as on thecarry lever engages a circular portion of the cam (:8 and causes acontact element to be held midway between a tens carry contac [ST and anines carry contact QT. As the counter moves through its nine position,the projection 53 drops into a recess 52 in the cam cit to effect anengagement of the contact element 5! with the contact ST so as toprovide a circuit to the counter at the next higher order position for atens carry pulse from a counter in the next lower order position. Formedon the cam 43 is a projection 54 which is engageable with the projection59 when the counter is in its zero position. At this time, the contactelement 51 engages the tens carry terminal WT. An arm 55 on the lever isengages a shoulder on a latch lever for holding the contact element inengagement with the terminal iiiT until a carry pulse is delivered tothe start magnet of the counter in the next higher order position so asto advance one step. If the higher order counter happens to be in itsnine position, the carry pulse is delivered at the same time to thecounter in the second higher position. As soon as the carry pulse hasbeen delivered, a stud 53 on the gear 3 rocks the latch lever 5? torelease the carry lever 4 49 so that its projection 50 engages thecircular portion of the cam 48 and holds the contact element 5| in itsmid-position.

In Fig. 7 one of the counter units is shown connected in a circuit forcontrolling the energizing of a magnet 50 which may be the print magnetfor a printer like that shown in the Buhler Patent 2,013,533. In thisarrangement, the counter start magnet 25 is pulsed by the sensing of aperfora tion in a card 62 which may be punched at any one of 0 to 9index positions. Upon the sensing of a perforation, a circuit iscompleted from a power conductor 63 through a contact roll 84, a sensingbrush 65, the start magnet 25 and a conductor 66 to the other powerconductor 61. This causes the clutch lever 22 to be disengaged from thespider Id and held in its disengaged position by a spring urged latchiii at the upper end of the clutch lever.

The card 62 is advanced past the brush 65 with its No. 9 index pointsfirst and a pulse is delivered to the start magnet at a timecorresponding to the point at which the perforation is sensed. At zerotime, a pulse is delivered from the power conductor 63 through camcontacts E2 and the stop magnet 26 to the conductor 61. As a result ofthis operation the abutment member 33 of the counter is advanced to aposition corresponding to the number of the point at which theperforations was sensed, and the brushes are held in their originalposition which may be assumed to be zero.

A commutator Hi has a brush arm i5 which is rotated to engage contacts 9to 0 in synchro nism with the passing of the 9 to 0 index points on acard under the crush 55. The commutator contacts are connected tocorresponding contacts t5 which are engaged by the counter brushes Thebrush arm 55 is connected to the power conduct-or G3, and the commoncontact 45 for the brushes 43 is connected through the magnet (ii! tothe conductor 6?. When the commutator brush arm 75 engages its contactcorresponding to the one on which the counter brush 53 is resting, apulse is delivered to the magnet 60. If the magnet 58 acts as the printmagnet in the Buhier patent referred to above, then a latch 78 isreleased from a spring urged lever 3'9 so that it rocks in a directionto move a toothed arm 89 in engagement with a continuously rotatingtoothed wheel 8!. The arm 80 is moved by the wheel Hi to effect thethrowing of a hammer 82 in a direction to force a record sheet (notshown) against a type element 33 on a rotating carrier 34. This carrieris driven so that the type elements are moved past the hammer insynchronism with the movement of the commu tator brush arm '55 pastcorresponding contacts. At zero time in the first cycle, a pulse isdelivered through the brushes .3 to energize the magnet 53 and ei fect aprinting of zero. Just after zero time, the latch lever 33 of thecounter is released from the wheel 35 so that the brushes 43 take a newposition corresponding to the setting of the counter. During the secondcycle, the brushes are held in their new positions while the counter isadvanced again. When the commutator brush reaches a positioncorresponding to that of the counter brushes, a pulse is delivered againto the magnet 60 for printing the value read into the counter during thefirst cycle. It will be seen that for each cycle, a printing is obtainedof the total read into the counter during the preceding cycles.

Instead of controlling the operation of a printer, a magnet for anothercounter may be connected in the circuit with the brushes 43 to obtain acontrol function in one cycle which determined by the operation of thepresent counter in an earlier cycle. Such a control shown and describedin an application to H. P. Luhn, Serial Number 264,325, filed December31, 1951.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferredembodiment, it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the deviceillustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention,therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cyclically operable control mechanism comprising, in combination, adriving element, an accumulating element, means for connecting saidaccumulating element in driven relation with said driving element duringa period in each cycle proportional to a value to be accumulated,control means including a member movable to different control positions,an abutment portion on said accumulating element for limiting movementof said member to a position corresponding to that of said accumulatingelement, means for yieldingly urging said member toward said abutmentportion, and means for holding said member stationary during the portionof each cycle when said accumulating element is driven.

2. A cyclically operable control mechanism comprising, in combination, adriving element, an accumulating element, means for connecting saidaccumulating element in driven relation with said driving element duringa period in each cycle proportional to a value to be accumulated,control means including a rotatable member, a brush carried by saidmember and engageable successively with a plurality of contacts duringrotation of said member, means fixed to said accumulating element forlimiting rotation of said member, said brush being arranged to engagesome one of said contacts in each position at which rotation of saidmember is limited, means for yieldingly urging said member in thedirection in which said accumulating element is driven, and means forholding said member against rotation during the driving of saidaccumulating element.

3. The mechanism of claim 2 including means for subjecting saidplurality of contacts successively to a voltage pulse during each cycle,and an electrically operated control element connected in a circuit withsaid brush.

4. An accumulating device comprising, in combination, a driving element,an accumulating element, a clutch mechanism adapted to connect saidaccumulating element in driven relation with said driving element, apivoted clutch controlling lever, means for rocking said lever in onedirection to cause clutching, means for rocking said lever in theopposite direction to cause declutching, a freely rotatable membercarrying brushes which are adapted to connect a common contact to anyone of a plurality of contacts corresponding to the different possiblepositions of said accumulating element, means for yieldingly urging saidrotatable member to a position for connecting said common contact to theone of said contacts corresponding to the position of said accumulatingelement, releasable means for holding said rotatable member stationarywhile said accumulating element is being driven, and means operable torelease said holding means after the driving of said accumulatingelement has been completed.

5. A cyclically operable device adapted to accumulate values and toprovide a control circuit at a time in each cycle corresponding to thetotal amount accumulated during preceding cycles comprising, incombination, a driving element, an accumulating element, clutchingmechanism therebetween, a clutch controlling lever, means for rockingsaid lever in a direction to effect clutching at a time in each cyclecorresponding to the value to be accumulated, means for rocking saidlever in a direction to effect declutching at a fixed time in eachcycle, a freely rotatable member carrying a brush adapted to engage anyone of a plurality of contacts corresponding to the different possiblepositions of said accumulating element, an abutment portion on saidaccumulating element for limiting movement of said member to a positionfor engaging said brush with the contact corresponding to the positionof said accumulating element, means for yieldingly urging said membertoward said abutment portion, means for holding said member each cycleagainst the action of said yielding means until said accumulatingelement has been advanced a distance proportional to the amount to beaccumulated, a control circuit including said brush and means forsubjecting said plurality of contacts successively to a voltage pulse.

6. A device adapted to accumulate values in response to the sensing ofperforations in cards at 9 to 0 index points and to deliver a pulse to acontrol element in each cycle at a time corresponding to the total valueaccumulated during previous cycles comprising, in combination, a drivingelement, an accumulating element, a clutch element adapted to connectsaid accumulating element in driven relation with said driving element,card sensing means, means for feeding cards successively past saidsensing means with their No. 9 index points first, means operative onthe sensing of a perforation for engaging said clutch element, meansoperative at zero time for disengaging said clutch mechanism, a freelyrotatable member carrying brushes adapted to connect a common contact toany one of a plurality of contacts corresponding to the differentpossible positions of said accumulating element, an abutment portion onsaid accumulating element for limiting rotation of said member to aposition at which said brushes connect said common contact to the one ofsaid contacts corresponding to the position of said accumulatingelement, means for yieldingly urging said member toward said abutmentportion, means for holding said member against movement by said yieldingmeans during the time that said accumulating element is driven, meansfor releasing said holding means after each 0 index point passes saidsensing means, a commutator having a brush engageable successively withcontacts numbered 9 to 0 in sychronism with the movement of card indexpoints past said sensing means, means for connecting said brush to oneside of a power line, means for connecting each of said commutatorcontacts to a corresponding one of said plurality of contacts, means forconnecting said common contact through said control element to the otherside of said power line.

HANS P. LUHN.

No references cited.

